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240 museums across 48 countries

World Museum Index

The most-visited museums in our coverage, ranked by annual attendance — with admission and suggested visit time for each.

Quick answer

The Louvre is the world's most visited museum at 9.7 million annual visitors, followed by Vatican Museums (6.8 million) and The National Gallery (6 million). World Museum Guide ranks 39 museums by attendance below — every figure from our verified data file, downloadable as CSV.

Verified 2026-06-30 against official sources.

Download CSV ↓

# Museum City Annual visitors Admission Time needed
1 The Louvre Paris, France 9.7 million €17 standard admission 3–5 hours
2 Vatican Museums Vatican City, Vatican City 6.8 million €17 standard admission 3–4 hours
3 The National Gallery London, United Kingdom 6 million Free 2–3 hours
4 Tate Modern London, United Kingdom 5.9 million Free 2–3 hours
5 The British Museum London, United Kingdom 5.8 million Free 2–4 hours
6 American Museum of Natural History New York City, United States 5 million $28 suggested admission for NY residents; $33 for others 3–4 hours
7 State Hermitage Museum Saint Petersburg, Russia 5 million 500 RUB standard admission 3–5 hours
8 Uffizi Gallery Florence, Italy 4.3 million €20 standard admission 2–4 hours
9 Museo Reina Sofía Madrid, Spain 3.8 million Free 2–4 hours
10 Musée d'Orsay Paris, France 3.6 million €16 standard admission 2–4 hours
11 Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) New York City, United States 3.5 million $25 standard admission 2–4 hours
12 Museo del Prado Madrid, Spain 3.2 million €15 standard admission 2–4 hours
13 The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York City, United States 3.2 million $30 for adults; pay-what-you-wish for NY State residents 3–5 hours
14 Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Netherlands 2.7 million €22.50 standard admission 2–3 hours
15 National Gallery of Art Washington D.C., United States 2.6 million Free 2–4 hours
16 Museu de Arte de São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil 2.5 million Free 2–3 hours
17 Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam, Netherlands 2.1 million €22 standard admission, online booking required 2–3 hours
18 Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum Oświęcim, Poland 2 million+ Free 3.5–4 hours
19 The J. Paul Getty Museum Los Angeles, United States 1.8 million Free 2–4 hours
20 Art Institute of Chicago Chicago, United States 1.5 million Free 2–4 hours
21 Te Papa Tongarewa Wellington, New Zealand 1.5 million+ Free 2–4 hours
22 The Egyptian Museum Cairo, Egypt 1.5 million 200 EGP for non-Egyptians 3–4 hours
23 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Washington D.C., United States 1.5 million+ Free 2–3 hours
24 Acropolis Museum Athens, Greece 1.2 million €15 standard admission (April–October), €10 (November–March) 2 hours
25 Canadian Museum of History Gatineau, Canada 1.2 million From CA$25 standard admission 2–3 hours
26 Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Bilbao, Spain 1.1 million €13 standard admission 2–3 hours
27 Pergamon Museum Berlin, Germany 1.1 million Varies by section when open; standard ticket €12 when accessible 2–3 hours
28 Anne Frank House Amsterdam, Netherlands 1 million+ €16 standard admission 1–1.5 hours
29 Neues Museum Berlin, Germany 1 million+ From €14 standard admission (Museum Island pass available) 2 hours
30 Smithsonian American Art Museum Washington D.C., United States 1 million Free 2 hours
31 Museum of Islamic Art Doha, Qatar 900,000 Free 2–3 hours
32 The Broad Los Angeles, United States 900,000 Free 90 minutes
33 Dallas Museum of Art Dallas, United States 800,000 Free 2–3 hours
34 Louvre Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 800,000 63 AED standard admission 2–3 hours
35 Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Bentonville, United States 700,000 Free 2–3 hours
36 Jewish Museum Berlin Berlin, Germany 700,000+ €8 standard adult admission 2–3 hours
37 Churchill War Rooms London, United Kingdom 500,000+ From £28 standard admission 90 minutes
38 National Gallery of Australia Canberra, Australia 500,000 Free 2–3 hours
39 Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa Cape Town, South Africa 300,000 Free 2 hours

Attendance figures as recorded in each museum's verified profile (oldest verification 2026-06-30). Reuse freely with attribution to World Museum Guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most visited museum in the world?

The Louvre in Paris leads with 9.7 million annual visitors, ahead of Vatican Museums (6.8 million) and The National Gallery (6 million).

Where do these visitor figures come from?

Each figure is the annual attendance recorded on the museum profile in our verified data file, checked against official and published sources. The CSV export carries the same numbers.

Can I download the data?

Yes — the full index is available as CSV at /world-museum-index.csv, free to reuse with attribution to World Museum Guide.